Squires of Tripoli

Squires of Tripoli were a unit of the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades (1096-1291), hailing from the County of Tripoli.

History
A Squire was a knight in training. These young men hailed from the County of Tripoli, their task being to learn the military arts and see to their Knightly Lord's needs. A squire's equipment depended on what his Lord could afford. Light amour, a shield and a sword were the most common equipment of the average squire in Outremer.

The Squires of Tripoli were trained from 1102 to 1289, from the foundation of the County of Tripoli to the conquest of the city of Tripoli by the Mamelukes of Baybars. The Squires were major units of Jerusalem, because they were strong yet easy to recruit.

In 1289, Tripoli fell to the Mamelukes and the Squires of Tripoli that were still serving Jerusalem were left by themselves, as without Tripoli the Jerusalemites could not recruit its squires.